The survey used to gather information about how Utahns feel about their health plans comes from the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey (CAHPS). This survey measures what members thought about the health care and services they received from their health plan in the past year. Issues coved by the survey include whether the member had a problem getting care when needed, or if their customer service needs were met. The survey also has overall ratings about the members’ health plan, health care, doctor, and specialist.

The survey was conducted independently by DataStat Inc. a NCQA-certified vendor, which was chosen from several vendors that all submitted bids to the State of Utah. This survey contains responses from caregivers about their children who had received health care. The survey vendor selected a random sample from each health plan’s enrollment database. Selected members were mailed a survey in February of 2011 and sent a reminder if they did not return the survey within two weeks. Follow-up phone calls with members who did not return a survey were conducted in April of 2011.

The State of Utah averages are calculated using the health plans that have participated in the survey, while the national averages are obtained from NCQA’s Quality Compass.